Fifth Test, Sydney - Day Two

Among those making the suggestion was Ed Cowan, the former Australian opener who once played grade cricket with Pietersen at Sydney University. ‘‘I’ve got a little feeling Kevin Pietersen might be playing his last Test,’’ Cowan said during a commentary stint with ABC Grandstand radio. ‘‘I wouldn’t be surprised if he retired.’’

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Whether Cowan had the inside word was unclear but he is not alone in opining that the enigmatic No.4 might be nearing the end of his spectacular and controversial Test career.

Rumours about the immediate future of Brad Haddin were put to rest by the man himself on Saturday but with Pietersen the subject lingers. He is only 33 but questions remain over how much he has to give. He has endured a dismal Ashes campaign – there have been worse performers in the England line-up but by his lofty standards, it has not been up to scratch. He has at times looked disinterested, particularly in the mode of some of his careless dismissals.

It has been a theme of England’s tour from hell – they have been let down by their leaders and senior players. Pietersen, who has been accused by the England cognoscenti of not setting the right example to the likes of Joe Root and Michael Carberry, is, of course, not alone.

Alastair Cook, their captain, has had a sub-par series with the bat and been slammed for perceived negativity in the field, and he plummeted to a new low on Saturday when he was trapped leg before wicket, not offering a shot, by Ryan Harris with the second ball of the day.

And Graeme Swann, who retired mid-tour, also came under fire with claims he threw in the towel selfishly rather than sticking it out with his crestfallen teammates.

The issue of Pietersen’s future is not a new one. Last April, former England captain Andrew Flintoff said he would not be surprised if Pietersen gave the international game away after the back-to-back Ashes and went off to pocket millions in the Indian Premier League and other lucrative Twenty20 competitions around the world.

Former England opener Geoff Boycott also queried the commitment of Pietersen, while calling for the head of coach Andy Flower in a newspaper column a fortnight ago.

‘‘Perhaps both should go after this series and we start afresh building a new team under a new boss ready for the 2015 Ashes,’’ Boycott wrote.

It wasn’t meant to be like this in Australia this summer for Pietersen. In Brisbane, he played his 100th Test, and in Melbourne, he became his adopted country’s fourth highest Test run scorer. No one can argue with his credentials. He has been a match winner in Ashes series victories and England’s other successes dating back to 2005, and exhilarating to watch as well.

At the same time, though, he’s always been seen as his own man, a conclusion that caught fire and has never really gone away since he was reprimanded for sending ‘‘destabilising’’ text messages to friends in the opposing team, South Africa, in 2012. In the messages, he criticised then England captain Andrew Strauss and was subsequently stood down.

Murmurs about Pietersen’s relationships with other England players continued on this tour when Swann, in a parting shot at a mystery cricketer or cricketers, accused some players of being ‘‘up their own backsides’’. The immediate assumption was that he was talking about Pietersen, although that was vehemently denied by Swann.

Whatever the case, this is the last we will see of Pietersen this summer. He is not in England’s one-day or Twenty20 teams for the short-form series that follow.

11 comments so far

Had this conversation with my Pommi-Aussie friend at the game today. We agreed he just does not seem to have the heart any more. Would not be surprised to see him retire - or possibly dropped as part of a rebuilding program for the team's sake.

Commenter

a don

Location

sydney

Date and time

January 04, 2014, 10:51PM

KP is a class act and i hope he doesn't retire at this point. None of the Australian batsmen, bar Clarke, can hold a candle to his talent.

Commenter

Ray

Location

Auckland

Date and time

January 05, 2014, 3:23AM

Ray he wont need to retire the ECB will do that for him, I believe most of the English team and staff will be given the chop to start fresh

Commenter

Andrew

Date and time

January 05, 2014, 4:17PM

This is what happens when players are elevated to rock star status.

Commenter

Reg

Date and time

January 05, 2014, 6:36AM

The poms don't have a replacement for him, so it's a case of them needing him more than him needing them . He has been a very good player and one series doesn't indicate much in cricket . They all struggle at times .The MCC are more to blame than the players , England were ill prepared for this Tour and our blokes have been preparing for three years. A very good effort by the bowlers and some batsmen , I am pleased to see Steve Smith rewarded for his hard work , there's a bit of Steve Waugh about him .

Commenter

Mankad

Location

Back in the bush

Date and time

January 05, 2014, 10:23AM

Chris, the use of the word "disinterested" to mean not engaged, is incorrect. An umpire is "disinterested" -i.e. impartial. You are stating that KP is impartial? No - the word you were meant to use is "uninterested". Surprised your editor didn't pick it up. ..or are standards at Fairfax sliding?

Commenter

sotto voce

Location

Sydney

Date and time

January 05, 2014, 11:29AM

FIGJAM has to big an ego to retire like this. Australia seem to have worked him out, he will want to payback in next series to prove how great he is. He has been greAt

Commenter

Armchair selector

Date and time

January 05, 2014, 4:43PM

KP's exit would instill some urgency to revamping this English team.KP was a class act who lingered well beyond his useby date.Wonder where they are going to get new talent as the British Isles seem to be bereft of talent.Maybe they could import them from where KP and Andrew Strauss came from.India is brimming with talent and i'm sure the talent scouts should also focus there.The way the Poms played this series they would be hard pressed to beat the likes of Zimbabwe or Bangladesh.Always felt that this English team was high on confidence of its ability but mediocre in performance.In other words they were always on shaky ground and when you expose that they unravel as they did.Lesson from this series for the Aussies should be not to crow too much about this win.When the beat up gets unreal and elation turns to euphoria you could be deluding yourself just like England once did.

Commenter

houdunit

Date and time

January 05, 2014, 5:55PM

By the way why was Bailey in the Australian squad. Make it his last.

Commenter

CC

Date and time

January 05, 2014, 7:54PM

I'm a little confused here. Many are speculating that KP will follow the money in short-format international cricket and yet he's not England's short-form teams?

5 Jan
When Brett Lee, these days a blur of energy and motion in the Sydney Sixers' distinctive magenta shirts, charges in against the Adelaide Strikers at Adelaide Oval in Sunday's Big Bash League match, he will attempt to defy logic - and the frailties of the human body - to be the first fast bowler to hit 150km/h every year for two frightening decades.

5 Jan
The sustained excellence of Australia's pace juggernaut collided with the carelessness of England's batting with spectacular results on Saturday to carry the locals ever closer to the third whitewash in Ashes history.

5 Jan
What will be the image that captures this summer of wonders? A blue helmet whiplashing to dodge a Mitchell Johnson fireball? Brad Haddin's edgeless blade slapping another drive over mid-off? The arms of Michael Clarke in the quarter-to-three position, arranging fielders into blind spots that will, within an over, conjure a catch?

5 Jan
Sydney Sixers pace ace Brett Lee admitted he would not have wanted to face the barrage he unleashed at English TV host Piers Morgan in a television stunt that resembled the first public stoning in Australia.

5 Jan
Brad Haddin has emphatically denied he will retire after the SCG Test, saying he has no plans yet to hang up the gloves. The Test vice-captain, one of the players of the series, said he had not placed a time frame on his future and has designs to make it to next year's World Cup, to be hosted in Australia and New Zealand. Haddin described talk of an impending retirement as ''all rumours''. ''My thoughts haven't changed since I've come back,'' he told ABC Grandstand on Saturday. ''As long as I keep challenging myself to be the best cricketer I can be I see no reason to give the game away. I'm enjoying being part of this group and moving forward we've got a lot of big series coming up which I would like to be a part of and contribute to this group. And we've got a World Cup not too far around the corner. They're all very attractive offers.''